Smart phone cases monitor health, test for bad breath

Also tell you if you are fit or not

Given that Japan is one of the most health-conscious nations in the world, it was no surprise that this year's CEATEC had a number of health-monitoring devices on show.

DoComo had by far the most interesting health checker, with the technology built into a number of mobile phone smart cases.

In all there are three cases that have been built, each monitoring a specific aspect of your health.

The first was like a breathalyser, with the unit hooking up to your phone and testing your breath for halitosis and also if there's any alcohol in your system.

Being that this was the third day of a tradeshow, we were convinced we would break the device when we blew on to it.

But the monitor – to our astonishment – told us that our breath had a count of one, which is good. The monitor goes from one to five, with five being that there is something wrong with the odour emitting from your mouth.

The second health-checking mobile phone we tried out monitored how much radiation was in the air.

Given that Japan has recently had a nuclear scare, this is a piece of kit that could be potentially life saving for its user.

The demo we saw showed off how much radiation was coming from some irradiation balls – lucky it wasn't enough to cause us any problems.

The final case was a fitness monitor. Equipped with sensors on the side, the device took a measurement from your fingers, then came back telling you how much muscle mass you had and other things like fat content.

Although the cases were bulky, the idea that you can transform your mobile into a health monitor is an interesting one, and we're betting that more of this technology will be shown off at CES 2012.